BOARD MEETINGS
All meetings of the Board shall be public meetings and shall be open to the public at all times with the exception of closed sessions as described under Iowa law.
Advance public notice of the time, date, and place of each meeting, and the tentative agenda shall be provided. When it is necessary to hold an emergency meeting without notice, the nature of the emergency shall be stated in the minutes.
Open Meetings
A gathering of a majority of board members in which deliberation of an issue within the jurisdiction of the Board takes place is a board meeting. A gathering for the purpose of social or ministerial action shall not constitute a board meeting unless a discussion of policy takes place. Meetings of the Board shall be conducted in an open meeting unless a closed session is authorized by law or the meeting is exempt from the open meetings law.
Regular Meetings
The regular meeting time and date shall be set by the Board at its organizational meeting. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors will be held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
Meetings will be held in the meeting place officially designated by the Board of Directors, which will be accessible to the public.
When a regular meeting falls on a holiday, the meeting will be held on the following day.
Annual Meetings
At a regular or special meeting held after August 31, but before the organizational meeting, the Board shall examine the financial books and settle the Board Secretary-Treasurer’s statements for the fiscal year ending the preceding June 30 and transact such other business as may properly come before it. As part of the annual reports, the Board Secretary-Treasurer shall present affidavits from depository banks showing the balance.
Organizational Meetings
An organizational meeting shall be held at the first regular meeting after the canvass of votes of the regular school election. The meeting shall be called to order by the Board Secretary-Treasurer acting as temporary chairperson.
The first order of business shall be to swear into office any new members unless they have been so sworn previously. The Board shall then elect from its membership a President and a Vice President and shall appoint the Board Secretary-Treasurer.
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time by the President or by the Board Secretary-Treasurer at the request of the majority of the Board. Public notice will be given.
If the special meeting is an emergency meeting and the Board cannot give public notice in its usual manner, The Board shall give public notice as soon as practical and possible. The reason for the emergency meeting and why notice could not be given in the usual manner shall be stated in the minutes.
No business other than that stated in the notice shall be transacted at such meeting.
Closed Session
The Board may hold a closed session only by affirmative public vote of either two-thirds of the board members or all of the members present at the meeting. No formal action of any kind may be taken in a closed session. The Board may hold a closed session for any of the reasons listed in Chapter 21.5 of the Iowa Code:
- To review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept confidential.
- To discuss strategy with legal counsel matters presently in litigation, or where litigation is imminent, if disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the Board.
- To discuss whether to conduct a hearing or conduct a hearing for suspension or expulsion of a student, unless an open meeting is requested by the student or the parent of the student.
- To discuss the purchases of particular real estate, but only when premature disclosure could be reasonably expected to increase the price the Board would have to pay for the property.
The item for discussion in closed session shall be listed as part of the agenda. The motion to move to closed session, including statement of the purpose for the closed session, shall be made and seconded during the open meeting. A minimum of two-thirds of the Board or all of the members present must vote in favor of the motion on a roll call vote. Closed sessions shall be audio recorded and have detailed minutes kept by the Board Secretary-Treasurer. Final action on matters discussed in the closed session shall be taken in an open meeting.
Minutes and the audio recording will restate the motion made in the open meeting, the roll call vote, the members present, and the time the closed session began and ended. Audio recordings and the written minutes shall be maintained for one year from the meeting date and are only available to board members or opened upon court order. The Board has complete discretion as to whom may be present at a closed session. Real estate-related minutes and tapes will be made public after the real estate transaction is complete.
Electronic Meetings
The Board may conduct a meeting by electronic means such as a telephone conference call only “in circumstances where such a meeting in person is impossible or impractical.” Public access to the conversation must be provided “to the extent reasonably possible.” Public notice must be given for the electronic meeting and minutes kept, which include the reason for not holding a meeting in person.
Work Sessions and Retreats
The Board may schedule work sessions and retreats from time to time in order to provide its members and the administrative staff with such opportunities. Topics for discussion and study will be announced publicly and work sessions and retreats will be conducted in open session. No board action will take place at work sessions or retreats.
Approved: July 2007
Reviewed: January 2018
Revised: January 2022